Soccer is the most played sport by kids in Canada.
We play soccer year round. We have indoor facilities and our provincial programme would shovel the pitches and train outside year round.
School hockey? Are you even Canadian? School hockey is practically non-existent. No talented hockey player is playing school hockey. They are in the OHL by then. Relying on any type of school sports to produce players is just stupid and it isn’t done for any sport in Canada.
No, everyone I played with could properly kick a ball.
You’re right about Canadian idols, I went to the same school as our best ever player and about half our best players are from my city yet no one really knows them. The only time I’d hear their names is my teacher talking about playing against Atiba Hutchinson growing up or my principal wearing a Paul Stalteri shirt. And my brother also played with Stalteri’s brother in law. But I was pretty much the only person who knew those names. So yes, you’re right there. But it’s far down the list of problems with Canadian soccer. We get every PL and CL match on tv. Kids are idolising Messi and Ronaldo just like kids in every country.
The real problem is it’s too expensive with few to no opportunities. You were looking at $1.5-2k a year at minimum to play for a decent club growing up. Plus all the travel costs on top. Most parents can’t afford that and some of our best talents drop out age 15-16. My parents had 5 kids to support, they couldn’t put 4 boys through rep soccer every year from 10-18. So we all only got to play rep for a couple years each. Despite that we’ve all turned out to be good enough to play semi-pro, if we had an actual development growing up one of us would almost definitely had gone pro. Same for the thousands of others who have to give up because they can’t afford it and to focus on school because soccer isn’t a real job in Canada.
You add in the fact half the coaches don’t know what they’re doing and are only in it to try scam some money then our whole development is based on sheer luck.
MLS academies are now offering free soccer for kids but that is only 3 clubs with limited space so while it has helped it’s still a long way away.
CPL starting up is also a new opportunity for kids to have. Growing up for many there wasn’t a single pro club in the country, there were no opportunities other than a scholarship to the States which many don’t want. I had TFC start when I was coming through and a few of my friends got picked up by them but that was it. Unless you were the couple at the very top and could make TFC then it was over, on to school and a real job for you. There is no Jamie Vardy story here, there are no lower semi-pro clubs to play for really. It’s MLS or give up.
The CPL at least add another 8 clubs for kids to strive to play for. A few of the stragglers I know who’ve clinged on are now playing in it, but for most of us it is too late now. Hopefully it’ll be a much needed starting point for the generations to come. But even that has its limits with the CPL commissioner saying he doesn’t believe in academies so they pretty much won’t be doing anything for youth development either
All in all, the issues have never been because of hockey. They’ve been because it is too expensive because the cities just look at soccer as a money earner. The level of coaching is 95% complete trash. And the complete lack of opportunities, which is at least changing a bit.
